Phases of Disaster

What is Disaster Recovery?

In the recovery phase, a community tries to restore all the damage done by the disaster. During recovery, the impacted region has a degree of physical, environmental, economic, and social stability. Individuals and businesses move from temporary to permanent homes and business locations, while reconstruction of community infrastructure moves forward.

Phases of Recovery

The recovery phase can be broken into two or three periods. The short-term recovery period can start immediately following an incident, when the community and business leadership organize long-term redevelopment activities. The duration of this period depends on the severity of the disaster and the level of community preparedness. An intermediate-term period is sometimes added to describe efforts to return essential services and critical infrastructure to a functional state.

The long-term recovery and redevelopment period can take years or even decades while the community’s economy equilibrizes into a “new normal.” Long-term financing is critical as businesses adapt to new environments and potentially change their business models.

Business Needs During Recovery

Businesses may also need to recruit and train new workers. Employees may have difficulty getting to work if roads are damaged or there may be a shortage of affordable workforce housing.

Businesses also may need to find new customers and vendors. Companies that have historically catered to local customers may find their markets disrupted. They may need advice about exporting products or services to new areas which have different business licensing requirements and taxes, for example. Capital may be required to find new markets in other jurisdictions. As the recovery process challenges the economy, economic development expertise and capacity become more critical.